South Gate Planet…
This ancient planet was only a few thousand kilometers from side to side. Looking from above, it was covered with crumbled ruins of once mighty structures. Dust covered the stone paved road that hadn’t been trodden for thousands of years. Suddenly, a dim light was lit up in the desolate landscape.
“The Southern Gate of Connate. I’m finally back.”
Chen Fan appeared in the sky.
He was wearing a black outfit which complemented the darkness in his eyes. Emerging from the shadows of the clouds, he glided across the sky like a ghost. He had travelled the universe and seen countless planets. The quietness in space and the incomprehensible vastness of the world unwinded his mind.
He looked around wistfully.
The Southern Gate of Connate was the furthest space portal outside of the solar system, the final linkage between earth and the world beyond. Looking from above, it had once been a bustling place, and a testament to earth’s former glory. This had been the starting place of Chen Fan’s journey in his past life.
He had been away from earth for ten years.
As he observed the landscape, his mind drifted to earth, to his home.
“Sister An, mom, dad, Fei Fei and Xiao Qiong, how are you doing?”
Chen Fan couldn’t hold back the swelling emotion.
He had wanted to go back home ever since he entered a secluded cultivation on Planet Tianhuang. The presence of the outer space sects on Earth made that urge even worse. However, Chen Fan had delayed his plan because of the Chinese on Tianhuang. They were on their last legs and would soon fall apart without him.
The Soul Tablet linked to his family members on earth was still intact, meaning they were safe.
However, the thought of returning home still burned in his mind. After things settled down on Tianhuang, he amassed a huge amount of Spirit Stones and teleported to The Southern Gate of Connate in less than half a month.
“I wonder what is happening on Earth.”
Chen Fan looked at the solar system.
A flicker of golden light danced in his eyes. It was bright enough to pierce the dark space. Upon closer inspection, one could see the energy of Dharma Laws swirling amidst a cloud.
“What’s going on?”
Chen Fan frowned.
He sensed that something was amiss. Earth and the solar system were undergoing a Grand Opportunity of epic proportions, much more important than the birth of a couple of treasures. It was a paradigm shift.
“I need to hurry.”
Even as Chen Fan got ready to move, he saw an iridescent light behind him and a powerful energy coming from the stone altar.
He was not alone.
“Who goes there?”
Chen Fan turned around and saw that a group of people had emerged from the light. Despite their odd-looking clothing, the men and women in the group looked fair and handsome.
Among the group of five cultivators, the most powerful was a male Nascent Soul Cultivator half-step away from becoming a Heavenly Lord.
“Someone has beat us to it. Are you going to the Heartlands?” a large man asked as a golden glow surrounded his body. Chen Fan was taken aback after hearing the language he used.
He had heard of such tongue in his past life, so he knew that it was a common language used among space faring races. This was the first time he had heard it ever since he had been reborn.
“Indeed. I’m heading toward the Heartlands,” Chen Fan replied.
His words had made them lower their guards. They noticed that Chen Fan was only a Golden Core Cultivator and posed no threat to them. The man guffawed and said, “So, you’re also from the Little South Heavenly Realm. We are cultivators from planet Shenyang. He’s my senior sect brother Chen Haifeng, number 395 on the Little South Heavenly Roll and the rest are my junior sect borthers and sisters.”
His tone was laced with pride and arrogance when he introduced his senior sect brother.
Chen Haifeng was a young man with silvery pupils. He nodded half-heartedly.
Chen Fan had never heard of them, but he nodded back nonetheless. He then asked the burly man about the recent news in the world.
The burly man was Zhang Tianqiao, a top ten disciple from the Qiyun Sect. He proudly stated that although the Qiyun Sect didn’t have any Soul Formation Cultivators, there were nearly half a dozen Nascent Soul Cultivators among the sect members. It was one of the best second tier sects in the Little South Heavenly Realm.
“Sigh. We are from ordinary sects, so we didn’t get a chance while we competed for the Grand Opportunity. It was reserved for those Divine Princes from the elite sects.”
After a while, Zhang Tianqiao suddenly asked. “What is your name? Maybe our sects are related.”
“Oh… I’m Lin He from the Demon Sun Sect,” Chen Fan replied.
He only knew three Star Ocean cultivators: Lord Dragon, Luo Changshen and Lin He. Everything considered, he could only pass for Lin He. Plus, Lin He was a nobody and using his identity would offer Chen Fan an extra layer of security.
To Chen Fan’s surprise, the name had turned the group into a bundle of nerves.
“You.. you’re Divine Prince Lin He? I… am sorry. I didn’t know,” the burly man stammered.
Chen Fan even started an art to lend credence to his cover. The art turned his eyes purple and unleashed Fiend Essence into the world.
The Qiyun Sect disciples were shaken to the core. They had never thought that such a handsome looking young man could turn out to be an evildoer. They charged up their energy to ward off the Fiend Essence, bodies taut with fear.
“Brother Zhang, are you all right?” Chen Fan asked.
“No… no, please call me Xiao Zhang,” Zhang Tianqiao hurried to put in. His legs nearly collapsed. Chen Fan looked at the girls and saw that their faces were pale.
“Divine Prince Lin, we need to move on. It was nice to meet you.”
Chen Fan watched as the group ran away without looking back.
“They don’t make cultivators like they used to. Lin He is so weak that he couldn’t even handle my Red Sparrow’s Seven Fire.”
Chen Fan shook his head.
He then found the altar and inserted the spirit stones to initiate the Dharma Array.
“Boom!”
With an explosion of colorful energy, Chen Fan disappeared.